A Tribocorrosion Apparatus to Revolutionize Tribology and Corrosion Research in Canada

摩擦腐蚀是一种系统的磨损和腐蚀，在人工髋关节和膝关节、食品、制药、运输和核工业等领域有着广泛的应用。一个敏感的摩擦计，能够进行摩擦腐蚀测量，在开放用户设施的所有必要的补充分析方法的环境中，将使这个杰出的研究团队能够检测这些机械辅助界面腐蚀过程。该仪器提供有关摩擦和磨损类型的详细信息。当与恒电位器相结合时，可以同时测量电化学信号，提供有关表面氧化物破坏和腐蚀的信息，并结合摩擦系数。定制的细胞将针对不同的研究项目进行优化，具有独特的要求（例如，氧含量，温度，痕量金属分析的无污染）。为了进行某些类型的摩擦学研究，例如研究涉及摩擦的富含蛋白质环境中的腐蚀机制，高级矫形植入材料的磨损和摩擦，以及核电环境和核废料容器的机械辅助界面腐蚀过程，申请人需要使用先进且敏感的摩擦计。为了获得这些界面过程引起的细微差异的准确信息，需要6 mN或更好的力分辨率。

Tribocorrosion, involving both wear and corrosion in a systematic manner, occurs in a wide range of applications, including artificial hip and knee joints, food, pharmaceutical, transport and nuclear industries. A sensitive tribometer with the ability to conduct tribocorrosion measurements, in an environment with all necessary complementary analytical methods in an open-user facility, would allow this exceptional research team to detect these mechanically assisted interfacial corrosion processes. This instrument provides detailed information on the type of friction and wear. When coupled with a potentiostat, electrochemical signals can simultaneously be measured, providing information on disruption of the surface oxide and corrosion in conjunction with the coefficient of friction. Customized cells will be optimized for different research projects with unique requirements (e.g., oxygen content, temperature, absence of contamination for trace metal analysis). In order to perform certain types of tribological research such as the investigation of corrosion mechanisms in protein-rich environments involving friction, the wear and friction of advanced orthopaedic implant materials, and mechanically assisted interfacial corrosion processes for nuclear power environments and nuclear waste containers, the applicants require the use of an advanced and sensitive tribometer. A force resolution of 6 mN or better is needed for accurate information on subtle differences induced by these interfacial processes. The team of interdisciplinary (engineering, medicine, and science) and diverse applicants already have exceptional records of fundamental, medical, and industrial research activities, and the addition of an advanced tribometer will permit further advancement and collaboration of corrosion, tribology, and surface analysis researchers within Canada. The acquisition of a sensitive tribometer to Western will boost Canada's research reputation in tribocorrosion, and the device will be widely available to both academic and industrial users within Canada and internationally. To maximize access, the tribometer will be located in an open-user, low-vibration facility adjacent to complementary surface preparation and surface characterization equipment with active research staff scientists able to support HQP users and maintain the equipment. The team, instrument, training strategy, and facility have been carefully selected to facilitate the training and future, highly skilled, employment of HQP, including those from underrepresented groups.